Heavy Rotation | Lollapalooza 2012

Heavy Rotation | Lollapalooza 2012

Corralling our coverage of America's biggest fest.

by Joshua P. Ferguson

Tens of thousands descended upon Chicago's Grant Park. Mother Nature reared her head with such intensity that she sent us packing on day two. We rallied. It wasn't the best chapter in this storied festival's history, but it had shining moments. Here are a few that we took note of.

Bassnectar on day one for Time Out Chicago|photos after the jump"Practically the entire crowd is red of skin, eyes half open from too many Budweiser tall boys and their energy is on the wane. From Ashton's perch atop the stage, he was clearly not taking this as an excuse. As fireworks exploded in the background, a Fatman Scoop sample called our hands to the sky with Ashton mellowing the vibe ever so slightly—like a calm before the storm—and then dropped into the remix that helped take his career to such high heights, his rework of Eli Goulding's "Lights." Little Dragon on day three for Time Out Chicago| photos after the jump"Beach balls fashioned like globes, blow-up whales, dinosaurs, birthday cakes and, of course, dragons bobbed overhead as Nagano, a force of a frontwoman, acted as spiritual leader—a vocal shaman conjuring bubbly synth pop, extended house jam sessions and all-around sunny grooves.
Standing, pounding, bouncing and bobbing to their eclectic sound, the members—save the drummer, who's glued to a dubwise drum set—seem to all have a little skip dance that they've adopted as the dominant footwork. As a cow bell and drum solo morphed into an extend house jam session on "Precious," the stage lit up with this slinky little move."Kaskade on day three for Time Out Chicago | photos after the jump"Within the masses there were girls yodeling, guys cleaning out bags of molly, bowls being packed, drinks being spilled, and making out, lots of making out. Cutting all the lights save a set of lasers, Kaskade sparked a frenzy in "4am." Like the time of night the song is named after, the darkness that descended on the Perry's stage field had the same effect as a club at peak time: throngs of sweaty bodies in close proximity to one another doing, well... Let's just say what happens at Perry's stage stays at Perry's stage."Miike Snow on day three for Time Out Chicago | photos after the jump"An ever-present smoke machine and the flash of flood lights were the closest thing to stage pomp and circumstance, but that didn't stop a parade of stars from queuing up on the south-east field to take in the show. Werewolves from True Blood, stoners from That '70s Show and Jesse from Breaking Bad all bobbed in delight to Miike Snow, an outfit that a nearby friend described as a true band's band."Salva on day two for Time Out Chicago | photos after the jump"A fringe booking in comparison to most of the other artists populating the stage this weekend, Salva represents for the Cali bass scene—a crew called Frite Nite specifically—and leave it to the Golden State to give its own take on things. Owing as much to hip-hop as U.K. dance (dubstep, drum 'n' bass and the like), Salva's set had a distinctly urban slant with MCs like Ludacris flowing over what is becoming known as trap rave, a synth-heavy take on Southern rap beats."

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